Electric switch



Dec. 25 1923. 1,478,523

, w. 5. LA LONDE I ELECTRIC SWITCH Filed Aug. 9 1920 To all whom it ma Patented Dec. 25, 1923.

UNITED STATES WILLIAM S. LA LONDE, OF EVANSTON, ILLINOIS.

ELECTRIC SWITCH,

Application filed August 9, 1920. Serial No. 402,260.

concern:

Be it known that WILLIAM S. LA LONDE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Evanston, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Electric Switches, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide an electric switch adapted to simultaneously selectively connect the members of opposite pairs of switch contacts, located at different points with reference to the switch, and to provide a slow motion device for readily operating the switch itself.

A further object of'the invention is to so mount a pair of these switches adjacent to terminals to be connected together by either one of the switches, and to provide mechanism operating either switch independently to interconnect those terminals without disturbing the operation of the other switchthis with or without the combination of a pair of entirely independent terminals adjacent to each switch to be interconnected by the operation of the switch when that particular switch connects the two terminals which are common to the two switches.

The invention consists in mechanism for carrying out some or all of the foregoing and other objects which can be comparatively easily and cheaply made, which is very satisfactory in use and not readily liable to get out of order. More particularly the invention consists in many features and details of construction hereafter more fully set forth in the specification and claims.

Referring to the drawings in which similar numerals represent the same parts thruout the several views,

Figure 1 is a face'view of the interior of a switch box carrying mechanism illustrating this invention in its preferred form.

Figure 2 is an end view taken on the line 2-2 of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a switch cylinder removed from the other mechanism.

The mechanism is contained within a box or case having side walls 10, a base or bottom plate 12 and a top plate 14. Extending into this box from the underside of the top plate 14 are two parallel spring contact members 16 and 18 which it is desired to selectively connect together by either one of two switch mechanisms placed on opposite sides of these members such switch mechanisms being, in the particular embodiment of the invention here illustrated, cylinder mechanisms 20 and 22 to be hereafter more fully described.

Each of these cylinders 20 and 22 is journaled in a suitable frame provided for the purpose which in the particular case here illustrated takes the form of a U-shaped front plate 24 and back plate 26 connected together by the usual separating studs 28. The switch cylinders-2O and 22 are not in the particular embodiment here illustrated, journaled in horizontal alinement with reference to each other, but are placed some little distance apart along the contact members l6 and 18 so that the inherent spring action of these members 16 and 18 operates to hold cont-act knobs 30 in engagement with wheel 22 and to hold contact knobs 32 in engagement with wheel 20 as'either wheel is operated in the manner hereafter described independently of the other wheel.

Each wheel 20 or 22 is made of insulating material and in the particular case illustrated is provided with two cross-connecting members 34 and 36 of conductive material adapted to merely carry electric current across the face of the wheel and nowhere else. Each wheel is also provided with another connector mechanism 38 similar to and opposite members 34 and 36 and differing from them in that a radial connecting member 38 is provided integral with them thus carrying any current in these members 38 to the center of the wheel and thence to the pivotal shaft 40 upon which the wheel is carried and journaled in frames 24 and 26. These members 34, 36 and two members 38 are so spaced circumferentially of the wheel that they may be brought across the members 30 or 32, as the case may be or other similar switch points, at the will of the operator, to selectively connect such a pair of contacts 30 or 32 as the case may be together with or without connection to the frame 24-26 of the mechanism and thence to ground by a grounded terminal 42 when and if provided. These members 34-36 and 38 are also so arranged on the adjacent switch wheel 20 or-22 that when the members 30 or 32 engage portions of the circumference of the wheel between these cross connection members, no current passes between the members 16 and 18 or other corresponding switch cont-act members hereafter referred to. In the particular case here illustrated contact member 16 is provided with a terminal 44 to which electricity is led by wire 46 and similarly, contact member 18 is provided with a terminal 48 to which current is led by a wire 50.

So far as the broadest aspect of the invention is concerned the device may be used for connecting or grounding one pair of terminals as 30 or 82 without reference to any other pair of terminals placed adjacent to a particular switch cylinder. The invention, however, in its more specific form includes the use adjacent to each switch cylinder of another pair of switch contacts simultaneously connected or disconnected by the operation of a particular switch cylinder. In the particular embodiment of the invention shown, the casing 12 is provided with a spaced apart pair of vertically extending contact members 52 having contact points or knots 54 bearing on the surface of the wheel 22, and corresponding spring contact members 56 provided with contact points or knobs 58 bearing on the surface of the wheel 20. The two contact members 54 are selectively connectable by the members 34, and 36 on wheel 22, as heretofore described, and members 58 are correspondingly connected by those members on wheel 20.

In the particular embodiment of the invention here illustrated the front contact members 54 and 56, as viewed in Figure 1, are connected together, in fact are integral on the bottom plate 12 of the box and are provided with a terminal member 60 connected by a wire 62 to ground 64;. Similarly, the remaining or rear pair of members 54- and 56 are integral and provided with the common terminal 66 connected by a wire 68 to a sourceof electric energy which it is desired to connect to the ground ea when the members 54tare cross-connected or when the members 58 are cross-connected. The details of this terminal 60-66 construction and the particular electrical connections outside the switch mechanism applied thereto are wholly immaterial in any broad aspect of the invention, They may be varied at will without departing from the invention.

Each one of the shafts 40 on the respective cylinders 20 and 22 is provided with a pinion 7O meshing with a segmental gear 72 mounted upon a shaft 74ijournaled in the frame mechanism described. One of these shafts is operated by a lever 76 extending to one side of the switchbox while the other shaft is operated by a corresponding lever 78 extending to the other side of the switch box. The proportion of each of these pinions to its adjacent segment is such that at a very slight rocking movement of either one of these levers will give its adjacent wheel 20 or 22 sufficient rotation to cause the member 38 to cross-connect members 32 while member 86 cross-connects members -58 or to cause member 34 to cross-connect members 32 while the member 38 opposite to it cross-connects members 58.

The switch mechanism of this invention is adapted to a great variety of uses. it 1s,

however, especially valuable with mechanism applied to automibiles designed to opcrate signal mechanism when some certain part of the automobile mechanism gets out of order. In such an installation the levers 76 and 78 are independently connected to different mechanisms of the automobile which it is desiredshall operate alarm mech anisms attached to the terminals 4a and 4C8, and as each lever does operate under the control of parts so attached to these levers the respective cylinders 20 and 22 are at the proper time and place rotated to cross-connect the members 30 or 32 as the case may be, and thus put alarm mechanism attached to terminals eat and 48 in condition for operating and giving alarm. In so doing each lever 76 or 78 simultaneously puts its adjacent contact members 58 or 54- as the case may be, in such a condition of interconnection that other mechanism controlled by wire 68 is put in condition for operation.

The levers 76 and 7 8 are selectively locked in position thru the agency of lever arms 80 one for each shaft 74: controlled by suitable springs 82. Each lever 80 is provided with a knob 8a which frictionally engages the frame when the parts are in the position shown in the right hand half of Figure 1. When the lever is moved from that position the end 86 takes a position to one side or the other of the central axis of the spring 82, which is shown in Figure 1, with the result that the spring shortens in the manner well known in the ratchet art, and thus holds the lever and attached parts in that new position until they are manually moved to a different position by forcible movement of the lever 76.

Having thus described my invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. In mechanism of the class described, a frame, a pair of independently operable twomovement switch elements, means associated with each switch element for imparting said movements thereto, a pair of electric spring contact members operatively disposed with respect to each switch element, a contact carried by each switch element in electrical connection with theframe and operable into simultaneous engagement with said spring contact members by either movement of the related switch element to electrically connect said spring contact members with the frame, two pairs of electric spring contact members operatively disposed respectively to said switch elements, and a pair of contacts carried by each switch element and insulated from the frame, said contacts being respectively operable into connecting engagement with a related pair of spring contact members by different movements of the related switch element simultaneously with the engagement of the first mentioned contact with said first mentioned spring contact members.

2. In mechanism of the class described, a frame, a pair of independently operable twomovement switch elements, three pairs of electric spring contact members, and means operable by each movement of either switch element to simultaneously electrically connect the contact members of one pair with the frame and at the same time to electrically connect the contact members of another pair without electrical connection with the frame.

3. In mechanism of the class described, a pair of independently movable switch elements, and three pairs of electric spring contact members, one pair of spring contact members being operatively common to both switch elements and the other pairs being operatively disposed to said switch elements respectively.

4. In mechanism of the class described, a frame, a pair of independently operable two movement switch elements, three pairs of electric spring contact members, one pair of spring contact members being operatively common to both switch elements and the other pairs being operatively disposed to said switch elements respectively, and means operable by each movement of either switch element to simultaneously electrically connect with the frame the contact members of the operatively common pair and at the same time to electrically connect the contact members of another pair without electrical connection with the frame.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name in the presence of two witnesses.

VILLIAM S. LA LONDE.

Witnesses ANNA ROSENTHAL, ESTHER J. LEVY. 

